Remnants of Coffey Park home headed to Burning Man

When Cheri Sharp fled from her Coffey Park home amid a storm of ash early Oct. 9, she was forced to leave behind nearly three decades of precious photos, artwork and memories.

All she and her family had to come home to was a “terrible, ugly war zone,” she said. In the weeks following the deadly Tubbs fire that destroyed her Santiago Drive home, she called longtime friend and Santa Rosa artist Aileen Cormack to help her sift through the ashes.

“I called her and I said ‘Aileen, would you be willing to create something out of what’s left of my life?’” said Sharp, a 54-year-old preschool teacher. “‘Is there any way you can make a piece or two for me that would just bring back what’s gone - to make something beautiful of it?’”

They donned masks and gloves, sorting through the burned remains of cherished items, such as a painting of Sharp’s two sons, kitchenware from her mother-in-law and ceramics created by her children. They also harvested a grill from a barbecue, trellises from the garden, the legs of an iron table and the internal metal components from a speaker.

From these artifacts, Cormack created several ornate pieces that now adorn Sharp’s rented home near Spring Lake.

But the remnants will head to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Cormack is using them to create “AndroNaut” for this year’s Burning Man, an annual art and culture festival. Themed “I, Robot,” this year’s festival will be held from Aug. 26 to Sept. 3.

The piece is one of 12 robots that’ll stand sentry to the towering effigy of “the Man” as it burns, Cormack said. It’ll be largely made of wood and other recycled objects, Cormack said, but will be outfitted with accents such as burned garden trellises and motorcycle parts from Sharp’s home.

“It’s really beautiful,” Sharp said. “I’m kind of at a loss for words … I wish I could be there. It seems like it’s going to be really powerful … she’s going to honor our things in a way that kind of honors everyone that was a part of this experience.”

Cormack and Santa Rosa artist Deborah Colotti submitted a proposal for the “Wizard of Oz” themed robot to be displayed at the Man Pavilion, which was accepted. Burning Man offers a $1,000 stipend for materials and transportation and two free tickets to those who are chosen to submit art, according to the festival’s website. Cormack is working as many as eight hours a day to finish the 7-foot tall piece.

On Aug. 23, Cormack will load the AndroNaut onto her garden trailer for the more than 350-mile drive to the desert, where festival crews will install the robot on a pedestal.

Working with the burned materials and remembering the fire has been a cathartic experience for Cormack, who voluntarily evacuated from her own home of 20 years near Chanate Road as flames approached. Colotti, who was staying with Cormack at the time of last year’s wildfires, also evacuated.

“I was lucky enough that my home didn’t burn down,” Cormack, 53, said. “I really didn’t know the morning of. I was down at the fairgrounds with thousands of people, looking at a black plume of smoke and I didn’t know if my house was burning.

“It’s just a reminder that in some ways, there are a lot of things that are out of your control,” she said. “It just makes you look at some of your material possessions and it makes you evaluate what’s really important.”

Both Colotti and Cormack have created past artworks for Burning Man, but this will be their first creation to burn. Festival crews will clean up after the statues are ignited, when the metal pieces may once again resurface from the ashes, Colotti said.

“Some of these pieces will be even more evocative after they’re burned … maybe when someone is cleaning up the remains of the Man, they’ll find some of these pieces and say ‘look at this, it’s amazing,’ and take it home,” Colotti, 62, said.

Other local artists are creating art for Burning Man, including Nick Lewis and Serah Timm of Santa Rosa, who are bringing a so-called musical oasis. Titled “Ancient Melodies,” it’ll include headphones that play curated music, according to the festival’s website. Henry Washer of Petaluma is creating “Monument of Indecision,” a lighted installation that includes a sculpture of a contemplative man intended to pay homage to the “power of individual choice and the difficulties inherent to that.”

Ukiah artist Matthew Walker is building a “Sinner Stage,” a “heathen theater setting” outfitted with elaborate sculptures, including a devil’s throne. He’s also creating “From Dust to Glass,” a working kiln on a steel frame.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com.